9 May 2023 To All Ordinary Members, XXI GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF Enclosed are documents for the XXI General Assembly of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) which will be held on Sunday, 9 July and Monday, 10 July 2023 in Jeju Island, South Korea. The General Assembly will take place in Jeju International Convention Center (ICC), Hanra Room, 3rd floor Jeju Island, South Korea (address: 224 Jungmungwangwang-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do) The following documents are available in this folder: 1. Invitation of the General Assembly workshop on Saturday, 8 July 2023 2. Programme of the General Assembly workshop on Saturday, 8 July 2023 3. Programme of the General Assembly on Sunday, 9 July and Monday, 10 July 2023 4. General Assembly Agenda (Appendix 7) Appendixes of the General Assembly: ● Roll Call (Appendix 4) ● Quorum: Call for XX General Assembly (Appendix 5) ● XXI WFD General Assembly Agenda (Appendix 7) ● XX General Assembly minutes (Appendix 8) ● Report on WFD Activities in 2019-2022 (Appendix 9a, 9b & 9c) ● Audited financial statement 2019 (Appendix 10a) ● Audited financial statement 2020 (Appendix 10b) ● Audited financial statement 2021 (Appendix 10c) ● Audited financial statement 2022 (Appendix 10d) ● Membership Fee Structure 2024 Onward (Appendix 12) ● Proposal for Amendments to the WFD Statutes (Appendix 13.1) ● Deaf Flag (Appendix 14a, 14b & 14c) ● Motions from Ordinary Member France (Appendix 15.1, 15.2 & 15.3a & 15.3b) ● 2023-2027 WFD Vision and Action Plan (Appendix 16) ● Nominations for WFD President, Vice-President and Board members (Appendix 18) Information about the XXI WFD Congress bids will be emailed to Ordinary Members on 15 June 2023 with a report from the WFD Congress and WFDYS Youth Camp Inspection Team. The WFD will provide refreshments to the General Assembly delegates. However, the delegates are responsible for their own lunch. Please remember that up to two (2) delegates (preferably one female and one male) can represent Ordinary Members at the XXI General Assembly and both must be deaf (Article 19.1 of the WFD Statutes). If your organisation is not on the delegates’ list (Appendix 3: Roll Call), please send the Entrusting Power form to Ms Phillipa Sandholm at [email protected] as soon as possible.
The WFD Statutes (Article 11.7) state that Ordinary Members must have paid all membership fees including 2023 membership fees by 31 March 2023 (three months before 30 June 2023) to vote at the XXI General Assembly. If your organisation is not able to transfer funds via bank or other form, you must make a written agreement with the WFD Secretariat by 30 June 2023 about paying monies owing in cash on site in Jeju before entering the General Assembly room. If you have issues paying, please contact Ms Phillipa Sandholm at [email protected] WFD is aware that some cultures give gifts as an expression of appreciation. At past WFD General Assemblies and Congresses, the WFD has received many gifts. This meant that the WFD had to pay more than 1,000 Euros to post the gifts to Finland. The WFD wants to keep our planet green by reducing the number of gifts and there is also limited space at the WFD office to keep all the gifts. Please consider donating through www.wfdeaf.org/donate instead of giving a physical gift. If your organisation donates, you may bring a certificate to present to the WFD President as a photo opportunity during the WFD Congress to recognise your donation. The XXI WFD General Assembly and XIX World Congress of the WFD will be important events for our global deaf communities and I look forward to seeing you all in person in Jeju Island, South Korea. With best regards, Joseph J. Murray President World Federation of the Deaf cc: WFD Board Members WFDYS Board Members WFD Honorary Presidents WFD Honorary Members WFD Regional Secretariats WFD Individual Members WFD Associate Members WFD International Members
9 May 2023 WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF WORKSHOP SATURDAY, 8 JULY 2023 Jeju International Convention Center Jeju Island, South Korea INVITATION The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) invites the official delegates of the WFD Ordinary Members participating in the XXI WFD General Assembly to attend a Workshop that will be held the day prior to the beginning of the XXI WFD General Assembly, on Saturday, 8 July 2023 at 9.00 – 17.30. The workshop is organised in the Jeju International Convention Center, Jeju Island. The registration starts on Saturday, 8 July 2023, at 8.00 and continues until 9.00. All the attendees are asked to arrive in good time before the beginning of the program. The workshop is limited to Ordinary Member delegates attending the XXI WFD General Assembly. The WFD will provide refreshments to the delegates. However, the delegates are responsible for their own lunch. WFD Honorary Members, Directors of Regional Secretariats and Regional Cooperation Partners, WFDYS Board members and WFD Expert Group members are welcome to observe the workshop. THE FOLLOWING THEMES WILL BE COVERED AT THE WORKSHOP 1. Preparations for the XXI General Assembly a. Procedural Issues b. Finance and Budget 2. Membership Fee Proposal 3. Training for Ordinary Members a. Safeguarding Policies: What Are They and Why Do You Need Them? b. WFD Policy Papers: Advancing Your Advocacy Work 4. Interactive Review of the WFD Vision and Action Plan 2023-2027 5. Enhancing Collaboration between the WFD and Ordinary Members On behalf of the WFD Board, I would wholeheartedly like to welcome you to this workshop with the objective of sharing information, learning from one another and preparing for the XXI WFD General Assembly. With warm regards Joseph J. Murray President World Federation of the Deaf
9 May 2023 WORKSHOP PROGRAM XXI GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF Saturday, 8 July 2023 Jeju International Convention Center Jeju Island, South Korea 8.00 - 9.00 Registration Workshop Registration for WFD General Assembly delegates to register for the Workshop 09.00 – 10.30 Preparation for the General Assembly 1. Training in General Assembly Procedural Issues 2. Finance and budget review. 10.30 - 11.00 MORNING BREAK 11.00 - 12.30 Proposed Revisions to Membership Fees 12.30 - 13.30 LUNCH BREAK 13.30 - 14.30 Ordinary Member Training 1. Safeguarding Policies. What are they? Why do you need them? 2. WFD Policy Papers: Advancing Your Advocacy Work 14.30 - 15.30 AFTERNOON BREAK 15.30 - 16.30 Group Sessions 1. Interactive Workshop on the WFD Vision and Action Plan 2023-2027 2. Enhancing Collaboration between the WFD and Ordinary Members. 16.30 – 17.00 Closing
9 May 2023 XXI GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF Sunday, 9 JULY – Monday, 10 JULY 2023 JEJU INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER JEJU ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA PROGRAMME Version date: 5 May 2023 Sunday, 9 July 2023 8.00 – 9.00 Doors open and registration 9.00 – 10.30 Agenda Items 1-7 1. Opening Addresses ▪ President ▪ Korean Association of the Deaf President ▪ Representatives from Global Organisations ▪ Welcome to Distinguished Guests 2. Voting System 3. Appointment of Co-Chair of the General Assembly 4. Roll Call 5. Quorum 6. Appointment of Officials a. Appointments of two (2) secretaries b. Appointment of three (3) tellers (Committee of three persons) 7. Adoption of the Agenda 10.30 – 11.00 Coffee Break 11.00 – 12.30 Agenda Items 8-10 8. Approval of the Minutes of the XX General Assembly (Paris 2019) 9. Report of the 2019-2022 WFD Activities 10. Financial report 2019-2022 11. Approval of Auditor for 2023-2027 12.30 – 14.00 Lunch Break
14.00 – 15.45 Agenda Items 12-14 12. Membership Fee Structure 2024 onward 13. Amendments to the WFD Statutes 14. Deaf Flag 15.45– 16.15 Coffee Break 16.15 – 17.30 Agenda Item 14 14. Deaf Flag (continued) 17.30 End of Day Monday, 10 July 2023 8.00 – 9.00 Doors Open 9.00 – 11.00 Roll Call Agenda Items 15-16 15. Ordinary Members’ Motions 16. 2023-2027 WFD Vision and Action Plan 10.30- 11.00 Coffee Break 11.00 – 13.00 Agenda Item 17 17. Bids for the XX World Congress of the WFD, to be held in 2027 13.00– 14.30 Lunch Break 14.30– 17.30 Agenda Items 18-22 18. Election of the WFD Board for 2023-2027 19. Certificates of Appreciation 20. Approval of Honorary Members 21. Presentation of Vittorio Ieralla Award 22. Closing Address 17.30 End of Day
1 XXI WFD General Assembly Delegates Version Date: 8 May 2023 International Convention Center, Jeju Island ORDINARY MEMBERS COUNTRY NO OF DELEGATES (Total Ordinary Members: 59) (Total: 105) 1. Albanian National Association of the Deaf Albania 2 2. National Federation of the Algerian Deaf Algeria 2 3. Deaf Australia Australia 2 4. Austrian National Association of the Deaf Austria 2 5. Belarusian Society of the Deaf Belarus 2 6. Deaf Association of the Flanders Belgium 1 7. Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria Bulgaria 2 8. Canadian Association of the Deaf – Canada 2 Association des Sourds du Canada 9. Association Nationale des Sourds de Côte d'Ivoire Cote d’Ivoire 2 10. Danish Deaf Association Denmark 2 11. Federación Nacional de Sordos del Ecuador Ecuador 2 12. Asociación Salvadoreña de Sordos (A.S.S.) El Salvador 2 13. Finnish Association of the Deaf Finland 2 14. Fédération Nationale Des Sourds de France France 2 15. German Association of the Deaf Germany 2 16. Hellenic Federation of the Deaf Greece 2 17. Hong Kong Association of the Deaf Hong Kong 2
2 18. The Icelandic Association of the Deaf Iceland 2 19. All India Federation of the Deaf India 2 20. Indonesian Association for Welfare of the Deaf (IAWD) Indonesia 2 21. Ente Nazionale Sordi Italy 2 22. Japanese Federation of the Deaf Japan 2 23. Kosovar Association of the Deaf Kosovo 2 24. Kuwait Club for the Deaf Kuwait 2 25. Latvian Association of the Deaf Latvia 2 26. The Lebanese Federation of the Deaf Lebanon 1 27. Lithuanian Deaf Association Lithuania 2 28. Macau Deaf Association Macau 2 29. Malaysian Federation of the Deaf Malaysia 2 30. Deaf People Association Malta 1 31. Association Mauritannienne Pour la Promotion des Sourds Mauritania 2 32. Mongolian National Association of the Deaf Mongolia 2 33. Association of the Organizations of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Montenegro Montenegro 2 34. National Federation of the Deaf of Morocco Morocco 2 35. Namibian National Association of the Deaf Namibia 2 36. National Federation of the Deaf - Nepal Nepal 2 37. Dovenschap The Netherlands 1 38. Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand New Zealand 2 39. Nigerian National Association of the Deaf Nigeria 2 40. Norwegian Association of the Deaf Norway 2 41. Philippine Federation of the Deaf, Inc Philippines 2 42. Federação Portuguesa das Associações de Surdos Portugal 2 43. The Qatari Center of Social Cultural for the Deaf Qatar 2 44. Rwanda National Union of the Deaf (RNUD) Rwanda 2 45. Russian Society of the Deaf Russian Federation 2 46. Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Serbia Serbia 2 47. Singapore Association for the Deaf Singapore 1 48. The Association of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired of Slovenia Slovenia 2
3 49. Somali National Association of the Deaf Somalia 2 50. Korea Association of the Deaf South Korea 2 51. Spanish National Confederation of Deaf People Spain 2 52. Swedish National Association of the Deaf Sweden 2 53. Swiss Federation of the Deaf Switzerland 2 54. National Association of the Deaf in Thailand Thailand 2 55. Association Voix du Sourd de Tunisie Tunisia 2 56. Uganda National Association of the Deaf Uganda 2 57. Ukrainian Society of the Deaf Ukraine 2 58. British Deaf Association United Kingdom 2 59. National Association of the Deaf USA 2
8 July 2022 CALL TO XXI GENERAL ASSEMBLY In accordance with Article 19 of the WFD Statutes: The XXI General Assembly of the World Federation of the Deaf will take place on 9 – 10 July 2023 at the Jeju International Convention Center Hanra Room, 3rd floor Jeju Island, South Korea The XXI WFD General Assembly shall consist of delegates representing Ordinary Members. Each Ordinary Member whose membership fees are fully paid, including membership fee for 2023, is allowed up to two (2) deaf delegates, preferably one male and one female at meetings of the XXI WFD General Assembly. You are kindly asked to respect the gender balance in selecting your delegates. According to the WFD Statutes: ● Each national organisation of the deaf is allowed up to two (2) deaf delegates, preferably one male and one female, at meetings of the WFD General Assembly. Any Ordinary Member that has not fulfilled their overdue membership fee within three (3) months of the due date of the fee shall not use their voting right in the WFD meetings. (WFD Statutes Article 19.1) ● International Sign shall be used for communication within the WFD General Assembly. All delegates shall assume responsibility for acquiring a working knowledge of International Sign. (WFD Statutes Article 20.3) ● Any Ordinary Member that has not made full payment of their membership fee within three (3) months of the due date of the fee shall not use their voting right in WFD meetings. Each Ordinary Member is entitled to one (1) vote. (WFD Statutes Article 21.1) Please complete the "Entrusting Power" form enclosed (Appendix 1) to enlist up to two of your delegate(s). You are reminded again that your delegates must be deaf, preferably one male and one female. In addition, the WFD Board encourages Ordinary Members to consider all forms of diversity in your countries in choosing delegates to represent your organisation. PLEASE NOTE: The Entrusting Power Form must reach the WFD Secretariat: Email - By Sunday, 9 April 2023 at [email protected] OR Postal mail - By Sunday, 9 April 2023 via WFD Secretariat, PO Box 65, 00401 Helsinki, Finland
Enclosed you will find other documents relating to the XXI WFD General Assembly. Some of these documents have deadline dates, so please read them carefully, and respond accordingly. Joseph J. Murray President World Federation of the Deaf
AGENDA XXI GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF Sunday, 9 July and Monday, 10 July 2023 Jeju International Convention Center Hanra Room, 3rd floor Jeju Island, South Korea Version date: 9 May 2023 1. OPENING ADDRESS 1.1. President of the World Federation of the Deaf 1.2. President of the Korean Association of the Deaf 1.3. Representatives of Global Organisations 1.4. Recognition of Distinguished Guests 2. VOTING SYSTEM OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 3. APPOINTMENT OF THE CO-CHAIR a. Ms Deborah Oyuu Iyute 4. ROLL CALL Appendix 4 5. QUORUM Appendix 5
6. APPOINTMENT OF OFFICIALS a. Appointment of two (2) secretaries b. Appointment of three (3) tellers (Committee of three persons) 7. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA Appendix 7 8. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE XX GENERAL ASSEMBLY (Paris 2019) Appendix 8 a. Motion from OM Australia on Sign Language Symbol b. Motion from OM Australia on IDSL/IWDP c. Motion from OM France on World Health Organisation 8.a OM Australia. Sign Language Symbol (Reference to XX General Assembly minutes item 14.1.1) The General Assembly approved the proposed Sign Language Symbol. Progress Report: The WFD Secretariat has researched the requirements for registration of the symbol. The costs of copyrighting the symbol across the globe would be prohibitive, and leaving the symbol to Ordinary Members to register in their countries would create an uneven global patchwork of copyrights to the symbol. The WFD Board decided to proceed with registering the symbol as a freely available universal access symbol for deaf people and sign languages. This registration is in process with the International Telecommunications Union. 8.b OM Australia. Notification of the Theme for the International Week of Deaf People /International Day of Sign Languages. (Reference to XX General Assembly minutes item 14.1.2) The General Assembly approved a motion that the WFD should communicate the themes of these events at least 12 months prior to the event. Progress Report: The WFD has found it difficult to meet the terms of this requirement, as was communicated to the General Assembly when the WFD Board opposed this motion in 2019. A good process for developing a theme is to evaluate the current year’s theme and impact, then decide on a new theme with consideration of prominent issues in global deaf communities for the upcoming year. This evaluation process necessarily happens after the current year’s event, which makes meeting the 12-month requirement impossible to align with good practice.
Since 2019, the theme has been developed by the Secretariat with President and some Board members input, with options presented to, discussed, and approved by the Board as a whole at its Board meetings, which take place in October or November. The theme is then communicated to WFD Ordinary Members. YEAR Approved by Board Communicated to Ordinary Members 2020 Reaffirming Deaf People’s Human Rights! – IWD Sign Languages are for Everyone! – IDSL Board approved on 27 November 2019 in Georgia 28 February 2020 2021 Celebrating Thriving Deaf Communities – IWDP We Sign for Human Rights – IDSL Board approved on 25 October 2020 via online meeting 30 November 2020 2022 Building Inclusive Communities for All – IWDP Sign Languages Unite Us! – IDSL Board approved on 11 November 2022 in the United Arab Emirates 8 April 2022 2023 A World where Deaf People Everywhere can Sign Anywhere! – for both IWDP and IDSL Board approved on 18 September 2022 in Namibia 18 January 2023 The WFD will endeavour to continue to meet the terms of this motion, with the aim of reducing the time between Board approval and Ordinary Member notification.
8.c OM France. World Health Organisation (Reference to XX General Assembly minutes item 14.2.2) The General Assembly approved a proposal for the WFD to work with the World Health Organisation to change their perspective on deafness to align with the human rights model in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Progress report: The WFD is pleased to report back on significant accomplishments from its work within the WHO system. ● The WHO Disability Guidelines During the Covid Pandemic stressed the need for professional sign language interpreters and for information to be distributed in national sign languages. ● The World Report on Hearing (2021) contained sections emphasizing the critical importance of sign languages for language acquisition in deaf children. ● The Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities (2022) recognized additional challenges faced by deaf people due to lack of access to healthcare in national sign languages and the need for professional sign language interpreting in health care. The WFD has developed and carried out a strategy to leverage the annual celebrations of World Hearing Day to focus on the importance of sign languages. Our social media posts are regularly among the top posts trending on this day. The WFD has consultative status with the WHO and is a member of the WHO’s World Health Assembly. We continue to use these avenues to advance a human rights view of deaf people and sign languages aligned with the CRPD. 9. REPORT OF THE 2019 - 2023 WFD ACTIVITIES Appendixes 9a-9c The WFD 2020-2030 Strategic Plan and its Action Plan 2019-2023 was approved by the XX General Assembly in July 2019. The WFD Board presents its results in its quadrennial report Together, We Have Achieved Much, distributed to Ordinary Members in May 2023. This report was distributed in both International Sign and English for the first time. 10. FINANCIAL REPORT 2019- 2022 (Finance Chair to present) Appendixes 10a-10d 10.1. Review of the Audited Financial Statements 2019-2022 10.2. Discharge of the WFD Board and auditors for liability for the accounts.
11. ELECTION OF THE AUDITOR FOR 2023 – 2027 The WFD Board proposes to the General Assembly that the following recommendation be adopted in relation to the appointment of the auditors for the WFD for the period 2024-2027. Recommended Auditor: Mr Markus Palmola, Authorised Accountant, HT, Nexia Oy, Helsinki, Finland Recommended Deputy Auditor: Ms Johanna Hilden, Authorised Accountant, KHT, Nexia Oy, Helsinki, Finland 12. MEMBERSHIP FEE STRUCTURE 2024 ONWARD Appendix 12 12.1. Revised Membership Fee Reduction Process The WFD Board proposes to increase the amount of possible fee deductions in case of financial emergency in an Ordinary Member from the current percentages. CURRENT PROPOSED Group 1 10% Between 25-50% depending on financial circumstances. Group 2 25% Group 3 50% Group 4 50% Fee reductions will be granted on the following conditions. ● One year’s fee adjustment due to specific conditions, which these criteria must be met with: o Economic Situation in the country such as a serious International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank recognized financial crisis o Humanitarian or natural disaster in the country o War in the country o The organisation’s serious financial deficit during two consecutive years and few assets.
The option to apply for group recategorization remains for exceptional circumstances. Temporary deferral of payment due to bank transfer issues can be granted. 12.2. Proposal to Split Group 2 into Group 2a and Group 2b The WFD Board proposes splitting Group 2 into two different groups with two different membership fees. The split will be the midpoint on the World Bank Country Classifications by Income Level. As with all WFD group allocations, this will be adjusted annually. The membership fees for 2A will remain the same at 500 euros whereas for group 2B the fee will be reduced to 300 euros. The aim is to have a fairer membership fee system for countries in group 2, which has a wide disparity in annual income. 12.3. Proposal to raise the fee for Ordinary Members and Associate Members in Group 1 The WFD has not raised its Ordinary or Associate Member fees in 19 years. The last fee adjustment was approved at the XVI General Assembly in 2003. This went into effect in 2004, when Group 1 fees went from 500 US dollars to 1,000 US dollars. In 2007, the currency for fees was converted from US dollars to Euros. The WFD proposes the fees for groups 2-4 remain the same, but the fee for Group 1 Ordinary and Associate Members be raised 20% to 1,200 euros annually. 13. AMENDMENTS TO THE WFD STATUTES Appendix 13 13.1. Proposal from OM France regarding Honorary President See Appendix 13.1 -Motion 1 (vimeo.com) for the new articles to be added to the WFD Statutes. Recommendation from the WFD Board: The Board supports this motion. 14. DEAF FLAG Appendix 14a-14c 14.1 Vote to adopt a Deaf Flag in principle 14.2 Vote to choose a Deaf Flag ● OM France ● OM Lebanon ● OM Russian Federation
15. ORDINARY MEMBERS’ MOTIONS Appendixes 15a -15c 15.a. Proposal from OM France regarding conferring the title of Honorary President to Mr. Colin Allen AM (Appendix 15.a - Motion 2.mov (vimeo.com)) in case the General Assembly approves the amendments to the statutes (item 13.1). Text from OM France: (In case of adoption of the motion about Honorary president approved) For the WFD propose again to the former president of the WFD Mr. Colin Allen AM the mention of honorary president. He served the WFD for 16 years, 8 of which were as President. We understand that he has declined the honorary membership which is not fair to others who are honorary presidents. Recommendation from the WFD Board: The Board supports this motion. 15.b. Proposal from OM France regarding the naming of the Deaf Flag to be “Sign Union Flag” (Appendix 15.b -Motion 3.mov (vimeo.com)) Text from OM France: We wish to request that the WFD keep the name "Sign Union Flag" for the Deaf flag. The name of this flag was thought of by the artist Arnaud BALARD. At the beginning, the name was Deaf Flag but it has evolved progressively following analysis of the various feedbacks from the field. It is the result of more than 10 years of analysis and reflection. Indeed, he noticed for example that the public authorities adopted more easily the flag because it’s "Sign Union Flag" instead of "Deaf flag". We are not only defending the Deaf Community but also our Sign Language. As a reminder, the motto for the last congress in Paris in 2019 is "Sign Language Right for all”. It is a universal name which carries a universal message. Sign language is inseparable from the Deaf community, but it is also used by non-deaf people for various reasons. That is why, we wish that the WFD which recovered the rights also respects the name of the flag and keeps it. Recommendation from the WFD Board: The Board does not support this motion. Rationale: The Deaf Flag Guidelines sent to all Ordinary Members were clear that the winning design becomes the property of the WFD to use as it sees fit. These Guidelines were signed by all Deaf Flag submitting organisations, including OM France. This motion attempts to evade the Guidelines already agreed upon. In addition, the WFD does not consider it good practice to be bound to a specific name for the Deaf Flag for all time.
15.c. Proposal from OM France regarding a Declaration of the Rights of the Deaf Child (Appendix 15.c - Motion 4.mov (vimeo.com)) Recommendation from the WFD Board: The Board supports this motion, but with a proposed alternative rewording of the English text to be presented at the General Assembly. 16. 2023 - 2027 WFD VISION AND ACTION PLAN Appendix 16 17. BIDS FOR THE XX WORLD CONGRESS OF THE WFD, TO BE HELD IN 2027 ● Nigeria ● Norway ● United Arab Emirates 18. ELECTION OF THE WFD BOARD FOR 2023 – 2027 (Presented by Election Committee) Appendix 18 The Nomination and Election Panel consisting of Mr. Juventus Duorinaah (Ghana), Ms. Clarissa U Ka Weng (Macau) and Mr. Henry Mejía Royet (Colombia) screened the nominations received from the Ordinary Members. The eligible candidates for the WFD Board nominations are: 18.1. President: One (1) nomination: Dr. Joseph J. MURRAY (USA) 18.2. Vice President: One (1) nomination: Mr. Kasper BERGMANN (Denmark) 18.3. Up to nine (9) Members: Fourteen (14) nominations: Ms. Jaana AALTONEN (Finland) Mr. Kedar Prasad ADHIKARI (Nepal) Mr. Kasper BERGMANN (Denmark) Mr. Raffaele CAGNAZZO (Italy) Mr. Bruno DRUCHEN (South Africa) Mr. Francesco (Frank) FOLINO (Canada) Mr. Juan Angel de GOUVEIA (Venezuela) Ms. Hjördis Anna HARALDSDOTTIR (Iceland) Mr. Nizar KASMI ISMAIL (Morocco) Mr. Vyacheslav (Slava) Klimov (Russian Federation) Ms. Shirley LIU (Australia) Ms. Victoria MANNING (New Zealand) Mr. Usman A. NAHUCHE (Nigeria) Mr. Florjan ROJBA (Albania)
19. CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION 20. APPROVAL OF HONORARY MEMBERS 21. VITTORIO IERALLA AWARD a. Presented by WFD President Murray and President of OM Italy 22. CLOSING ADDRESS a. WFD President Murray
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 1 Legal Seat – Helsinki, Finland WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF An International Non-Governmental Organisation in official liaison with ECOSOC, UNESCO, ILO, WHO and the Council of Europe. WFD was established in Rome in 1951. PO Box 65, 00401 Helsinki, FINLAND www.wfdeaf.org MINUTES XX GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF Sunday, 21 July and Monday, 22 July 2019 Salle Maillot, Palais des Congres, Paris, France 1. OPENING ADDRESS 1.1. President of the World Federation of the Deaf President Colin Allen AM officially opened the XX WFD General Assembly (hereafter the ‘GA’) on 21 July at 09:10 with a warm welcome to all the delegates. He mentioned about four (4) former board members (Dr Yerker Andersson, Mr Lars-Åke Wikström, Mr Armando Giuranna and Mr Francis K Boison) who died in the past four years. Ms Elena Down who served as the WFD Human Rights Officer and Co-ordinator of the WFD Expert Group on Human Rights has also passed away. President Allen AM called for one-minute silence in remembrance of those people who passed away. President Allen AM thanked people who supported him during his 16 years of service to WFD. 1.2. President of the French National Federation of the Deaf Mr Vincent Cottineau, Président de la FNSF (Fédération Nationale des Sourds de France) welcomed the delegates to Paris for the XX General Assembly and Congress. He mentioned the importance of WFD to the global deaf community in the field of sign language and human rights. 1.3. VIP Guests: • Ms Ana Lucia Arellano, Chair, International Disability Alliance (IDA) Ms Arellano introduced the work of the IDA and highlighted good cooperation with representatives from the WFD including President Allen AM and Dr Terry Riley OBE who have served on IDA Board. OM South Africa congratulated IDA and President Allen AM for their tireless advocacy work for the human rights of the Deaf Community worldwide. • Dr Debra Russell, Honorary President, World Association of Sign Language Interpreters Dr Russell expressed appreciation for being invited to the GA. She shared that 506 people from 83 countries attended the WASLI Conference that took place just before the GA. The WASLI is now led by Dr Christopher Stone. Dr Russell appreciated the strong working partnership between WASLI and WFD. She encouraged Ordinary Members (OMs) to support the development of the sign language interpreting profession. She thanked President Allen AM for his excellent co-operation and support.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 2 • Mr Shane Feldman, President, Discovering Deaf Worlds Mr Feldman explained about capacity building projects of the Discovering Deaf Worlds in two countries and showed a short video. He highlighted the co-operation with the WFD also demonstrated the willingness to co-operate with the WFD OMs. WFD and willingness to cooperate with OMs in the future. • Mr Stanislav Ivanov, President, DeafSkills Mr Ivanov introduced the work of the DeafSkills promoting deaf people’s employment opportunities in several professions including championships to show the skills of deaf people in various platforms. He shared that the co-operation with the WFD has been important in several countries. • Dr Diane Lillo-Martin, President, Sign Language Linguistics Society Dr Lillo-Martin thanked President Allen AM for co-operation and explained about the cooperation agreement with the WFD. She informed delegates about the work of the Sign Language Linguistics Society including a presentation that will take place during the XVIII World Congress. • Mr David De Keyzer, Director, Cinésourds Mr De Keyzer explained about the importance of the co-operation with WFD as the cultural and arts world also overlapping with the political field. He announced the next festival in Washington DC, USA in partnership with Gallaudet University. He presented President Allen AM with the gift. President Allen AM introduced the WFD Honorary Presidents and Members to the delegates. Regional Secretariats and Co-operating Partner were also introduced in addition to Board members of the WFD. 2. VOTING SYSTEM OF THE WFD GENERAL ASSEMBLY Board Member Bergmann explained about the electronic voting system. He conducted the testing of the electronic voting system. He clarified the difference between simple majority and two-thirds majority as shown in the video which was presented also during the WFD Workshop, which took place on the day before the General Assembly. Board Member Bergmann presented the voting of the approval of the system. 71 yes and 3 no votes counted. OM South Africa enquired on the functioning of the electronic voting system in case of multiple choices especially for the board elections. Mr Bergmann answered that the system has already been set up for this procedure and paper voting slips will be used for the election of Board Members. 3. INTRODUCTION OF THE CO-CHAIR OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY President Allen AM presented Board’s proposal to appoint Ms Deborah Iyute from Uganda as the co-chair of the XX WFD General Assembly. Decision: The GA approved the proposal to appoint Ms Deborah Iyute as the co-chair of the XX WFD General Assembly by 73 yes and 5 no votes counted. OM South Africa expressed concern about the process and speed of the voting system. 4. ROLL CALL President Allen AM led the roll call, which was conducted by names and flags of the OMs in alphabetical order. In total, delegates from 81 OMs were present.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 3 5. APPOINTMENT OF OFFICIALS 5.1. Appointment of two (2) secretaries for the meeting (minute takers) Ms Iyute introduced the two (2) Secretaries for the Meeting namely Ms Eeva Tupi and Mr Mark Wheatley recommended by the WFD Board. Decision: The GA appointed the Secretaries for the Meeting by 71 yes and 1 no votes counted. 5.2. Appointment of two (2) Minute Checkers Ms Iyute introduced and explained the role of the two (2) appointed Minute Checkers namely Dr John Bosco Conama from Ireland and Mr Paul Nanyeni from Namibia. Decision: The GA appointed the Minute Checkers for the GA by 70 yes and 7 no votes counted. 5.3. Appointment of three (3) Tellers Ms Iyute introduced three (3) Tellers recommended by the WFD Board: Mr Brett Casey from Australia, Mr Yasunori Shimamoto from Japan, and Mr Henry Meija from Colombia. It was informed that as WFD Legal Advisor and Directors of WFD Regional Secretariats the appointees are not delegates of the GA and are therefore independent as required by the WFD Internal Rules. Decision: The GA approved the appointed Tellers by 72 yes and 5 no votes counted. 6. QUORUM According to the WFD statutes, which is in compliance with the Finnish law, Board Member Bergmann announced that the quorum is fulfilled through the call for the GA: the call with draft agenda has been sent out to all OMs one year prior to the GA, nominations and motions were received six months prior to the GA and agenda with relevant attachments sent out to OMs two months before the GA, thus the quorum is met. Decision: The GA approved the quorum by 77 yes and 2 no votes counted. 7. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA Board Member Bergmann reminded that the agenda, along with the relevant attachments, were sent two months prior to the GA. Decision: The GA adopted the agenda by 76 yes and 2 no votes counted. 8. ORDINARY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS President Allen AM explained that WFD Board received two Ordinary Membership applications from countries that are not member states of the United Nations (UN). President Allen AM clarified that according to Article 11.3.1 of the WFD Internal Rules: “A country is defined as those that are a member state of the UN, and this will be determined by looking at the UN website: http://www.un.org/en/member-states/ If an applying organisation applies whose country is not a member state of the UN then the organisation’s application shall go to the WFD General Assembly for a vote to determine approval.” President Allen AM confirmed that during the 116th WFD Board meeting, the WFD Board decided to make a proposal for the WFD GA to approve the following Associate Members to become Ordinary Members: 8.1 Kosovar Association of the Deaf 8.2 Palestinian Union for the Deaf OM Portugal wanted to confirm if there will be two separate voting sessions for each application. President Allen AM confirmed that there will be two separate voting sessions.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 4 OM Morocco requested all delegates to respect the human rights aspect not the political aspect of the application. OM South Africa wanted to know if applications met the WFD criteria for Ordinary Membership. President Allen AM confirmed that both applications have successfully passed membership application review process. OM Bulgaria shared the concern about the confidentiality of the electronic voting system. Mr Casey explained that nobody has access to the decisions made by the delegatesthrough the electronic voting system and that the only accessible information is whether vote has been given or not. Decision: The GA approved the application by the Kosovar Association of the Deaf by 70 yes and 5 no votes counted. Decision: The GA approved the application by the Palestinian Union of the Deaf by 72 yes and 7 no votes counted. President Allen AM requested the delegates to approve the participation of the XX WFD General Assembly of the delegates from Kosovar Association of the Deaf and Palestinian Union of the Deaf. OM Kenya enquired whether those associations have paid their membership fees or not. President Allen AM confirmed that both payments have been received. OM Zambia commented that the new members should be welcomed immediately. Decision: The GA confirmed the participation of the Kosovar Association of the Deaf and Palestinian Union of the Deaf by 76 yes and 3 no votes counted. 9. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE XIX GENERAL ASSEMBLY The minutes from the XIX General Assembly shall be adopted after a review of the progress achieved related to OMs's motions from 2015. 9.1. Report on Motions from Ordinary Members at the XIX General Assembly in 2015 President Allen AM introduced the motion and shared the progress report. 9.1.1. OM Hungary - Process of issuing WFD Statements (Reference to XIX General Assembly minutes item 11.1.1.) OM Hungary stated that WFD Policies should be developed in consultation with relevant parties within the WFD and approved at the GA. It was noted that the WFD Board will continue to have the mandate to issue statements and guidelines. Vice President Murray stated that during 2015-2018 the WFD has not prepared any policy. In drafting position papers and statements, consultations have taken place with WFD Ordinary Members, Expert Groups, external experts and other stakeholders. 9.1.2. OM Sweden - Deaf Flag (Reference to XIX General Assembly minutes item 11.4.1.) Vice President Murray stated that GA already approved the concept of having a deaf flag. 9.1.3. OM France - Deaf Flag (Reference to XIX General Assembly minutes item 11.4.2.)
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 5 Vice President Murray stated that a working group was established to make a clear proposal on the Deaf Flag for the XX WFD General Assembly. Ordinary Members from France, Iran, Nepal, Russian Federation and Sweden were appointed as members of the working group. Vice President Murray stated that Working Group, eventually led by OM France, appointed a committee of experts composing of three people to focus on technical standards for flag design. OM Sweden confirmed that call for proposals was then sent to OMs in December 2018. The committee of experts received six proposals out of which one met the minimum technical criteria for flag design, and forwarded this design to the WFD Secretariat on 16 May 2018. However, the Working Group has not considered the design and did not have a proposal to present for the GA. OM France enquired which countries proposed the design of the flag which was then presented to the expert committee. Vice President Murray confirmed that WFD Board was not aware of the submission as there was no consultation with the Working Group at all. OM France was aware that the Working Group was independent and consulted with their own selected expert group. But the expert group have not yet presented the concept of the flag to the Working Group. OM South Africa enquired about the process concerning the deaf flag as confirmed it should be presented to the GA. Vice President Murray stated that the Deaf Flag will be discussed at point 14.1 of the agenda. OM Venezuela confirmed that they would like to receive clarification of the process of the flag in the Working Group. OM Sweden explained the definition and the role of the Working Group focusing solely on the development of criteria for a deaf flag. OM Hungary asked that the delegates should respect the agenda therefore minimise time wastage. 9.1.4. OM Australia and Japan - Sign Language Symbol (Reference to XIX General Assembly minutes item 11.5.1.) Board Member Campello stated that the GA already approved the idea of having a sign language symbol and referred the matter to the Board. Board Member Campello stated that WFD Board have already consulted with OM Australia to make a proposal of a sign language symbol for the present General Assembly (refer to XX GA Minutes item 14.1.1). 9.1.5. OM Canada – Composition of WFD Regional Secretariat (Reference to XIX General Assembly minutes item 11.6.2.) Board Member Jigjid stated that the XIX General Assembly approved the motion to reduce the number of OMs from five to three to be able to establish a Regional Secretariat. The amendment was incorporated in Article 29.1 of the WFD Statutes. Decision: The GA approved the minutes of the XIX General Assembly by 63 yes and 9 no votes counted. 10. REPORT OF THE 2015 - 2018 WFD ACTIVITIES President Allen AM acknowledged support from the board in achieving their aims during their tenure. He also acknowledged the invaluable support from the staff and interns.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 6 Representatives from the Board and Staff members took turns to present on their allocated parts. The WFD Vision and Action Plan 2016-2019 was approved in July 2015 by the XIX WFD General Assembly. It has ten goals. The WFD report outlined some of the achievements of the past four years (January 2015 – December 2018) based on the review of the WFD Action Plan. OM South Africa commented that they would like to focus on trips to the 60 countries that WFD representatives made. Have they met with governmental representatives during their visits? President Allen AM confirmed that WFD representatives met with some of the governmental representatives and discussed about sign language. He also confirmed that they gave initiatives to the representatives in the Maghreb region to solve their internal issues. He highlighted the WFD visit to South Africa and celebrated the International Day of Sign Languages in partnership with OM South Africa. That was live streamed through Facebook in order to maximise impact. OM Cameroon enquired about the global impact especially about some areas, globally, received less impact than others? President Allen AM responded that those countries that WFD represented and visited, the costs was covered by the host countries, therefore other countries received less impact. He confirmed WFD representatives attended several UN events and meetings in New York, USA and Geneva, Switzerland which maximised impact to Global South countries. OM Hungary commented that the current report should serve as a benchmark for the new WFD board especially supporting countries which were previously neglected. He confirmed that there was a lack of information on deaf politicians and on how they could co-operate with WFD. Decision: The GA approved the report of the 2015-2018 WFD Activities by 79 yes and 0 no votes counted. 11. FINANCIAL REPORT 2015- 2018 11.1. Review of audited financial statements 2015-2018 (Profit & Loss; Balance; Funds) Board Member Alanne presented the audited financial statements. OM Hungary enquired that with the absence of the Finnish member of the next board therefore potentially affect the funding from the Finnish Government? Board Member Alanne confirmed that the WFD office is registered in Finland and currently follow all the aspect of the Finnish legislation therefore confirmed that there will be no risk of the termination of the support from the Finnish Government. OM France enquired that considering the losses reported each year for the past three years and wanted to confirm the remaining amount in the bank account. Board Member Alanne confirmed that during December 2018, there was 98.000€ in the bank account. OM Zambia noticed that OM Finland have been financially supporting WFD and called for other OMs to support WFD financially too. OM Portugal stated that as membership paying OM they should have the right to ask questions regardless of time restrictions imposed by the co-chair. Decision: The GA approved the review of the audited financial statements by 70 yes and 8 no votes counted.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 7 11.2. Review of the financial statements and auditor’s reports 2015-2018 Board Member Alanne presented the Auditor’s opinions and reports. OM Kosovo enquired about the impact of the overall deficit to the current surplus? Board Member Alanne confirmed that as shown in 11.1, all total amounts were transferred to the following year. OM Hungary noted that the 2018 comments from the auditors were identical to the 2017 version. OM Bulgaria enquired about the methods in order to halt the continuous annual deficits. Suggested that WFD seek sponsorship from private companies. Board Member Alanne thanked the comments and noted it. Decision: The GA approved the review of the Auditor’s reports 2015-2018 by 67 yes and 8 no votes counted. 11.3. Discharge of the WFD Board and auditors from liability for the accounts. 11.4. Decision: The GA approved the discharge of the WFD Board and auditors from liability for the accounts by 67 yes and 8 no votes counted. 12. APPROVAL OF THE AUDITOR FOR 2020 – 2023 Board Member Alanne recommended the following Auditors for the period 2020-2023. Recommended Auditor: Mr Markus Palmola, Authorised Accountant, HT, Nexia Oy, Helsinki, Finland Recommended Deputy Auditor: Ms Johanna Hilden, Authorised Accountant, KHT, Nexia Oy, Helsinki, Finland OM Belgium enquired about lack of WFD support for deaf auditors and accountants? Board Member Alanne confirmed that there are no qualified official deaf auditors in Finland. Decision: The GA approved the recommendation of the auditors from WFD by 78 yes and 2 no votes counted. 13. MEMBERSHIP FEE STRUCTURE 2020-2023 Board Member Kvitvaer explained that in 2007, the currency of membership fees was converted from USD to EUR, which resulted in a very small increase of fees. Board Member Kvitvaer noted the declining financial situation of the WFD, the WFD Board proposes an increase in OMs' membership fees. Board Member Kvitvaer confirmed that WFD Board proposed the GA to approve the following annual increase of 10% based on the current membership fees. Proposed increases will take place each year until the year 2023:
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 8 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Group 1 1000 € Group 1 1 100 € Group 1 1 200 € Group 1 1 300 € Group 1 1 400 € Group 2 500 € Group 2 550 € Group 2 600 € Group 2 650 € Group 2 700 € Group 3 100 € Group 3 110 € Group 3 120 € Group 3 130 € Group 3 140 € Group 4 50 € Group 4 55 € Group 4 60 € Group 4 65 € Group 4 70 € OM Brazil was concerned that most OMs do not have the financial capacity to keep up with the annual increases especially with additional 400€ for Group 1. And the financial capacity of OMs doesn’t reflect the increase of the world’s economy mechanism. OM Georgia was concerned about the increase due to the exchange rate between Georgian currency and Euros and it would be unsustainable for them to keep up. The delegate believed that other OMs were already experiencing similar situation as OM Georgia. OM Sweden supported the increase but stated that it is the responsibility of the board to follow up and support financially struggling OMs. Board Member Kvitvaer stated that if any OMs can contact the WFD if they are having issues with the membership fee. OM Namibia proposed that the increases of the membership fee should be in every four years rather than every year. OM Bulgaria commented that WFD already stated that there were difficulty collecting membership fees and enquired on how can they justify the increase? Board Member Kvitvaer stated that annual increases will greatly support WFDs work rather than every four years. OM Denmark proposed that the 10% increase should be applied to Group 1 countries only. President Allen AM stated that there was no increase in membership fees in 12 years and it was unsustainable due to the increase of everyday costs. He reminded all delegates that WFD are their organisation and it is their responsibility to support it. He asked the delegates to support the board’s proposal. Decision: The GA declined the increase of the membership fees by 43 no and 38 yes votes counted. OM France Suggested that OMs in Group 4 should ask OMs in Group 1 for their support as the amount requested for the Group 4 was small. OM Brazil stated that the delegates needed more time for discussion and clarification of the financial impact especially in Group 1. OM Portugal stated that any additional proposals must be proposed during the next GA. OM Kenya – The decision of the GA has already been made and it is the boards responsibility to consider next step. OM Italy Confirmed that the proposal from OM Denmark must be respected and discussed during the current GA. President Allen AM was aware that the proposal from the board was declined but in position to consider OM Denmark’s proposal as GA have the authority to do so. OM Poland proposed that 38 OMs who voted for the increase should voluntary increase their contributions voluntary for the next four years. Board Member Kvitvaer asked the delegates to consider the increase of their contributions during the next GA.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 9 Ms Iyute proposed that the delegates cast their vote for OM Denmark’s proposal. Board Member Kvitvaer clarified that it was a counter proposal therefore the proposed membership fee increases only applied to Group 1 OMs. Decision: GA approved the counter proposal by 38 yes and 21 no votes counted. OM Australia stated that the counter proposal was not legal as it was not proposed before the GA. And there was a majority of Groups 2,3 and 4 delegates therefore 40 Group 1 had no say in this matter. Mr Casey stated that all delegates must vote according to the statutes instead of asking only some of them to vote. OM Kenya suggested that the counter proposal should be suspended pending to the board discussion and decision. OM Slovenia enquired about the mathematics as 10% increase per annual don’t mean 100€ added every year. Board Member Kvitvaer confirmed that OM Slovenia was correct, and it was a simplified maths. END OF DAY ONE
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 10 DAY TWO Ms Iyute opened Day 2 of the GA on 22 July at 9:00. Ms Iyute introduced WFD Legal Adviser Casey. Mr Casey confirmed that the votes for the Membership Fee amendment (Group 1) was not valid as the procedure was not adhered to. Especially in the WFD Internal Rules 19.4.5. Mr Casey asked the delegates to respect the procedure of approaching the board first so the board will be in position to consult with him. Mr Casey also explained the voting procedure and ensured that all delegates were aware of the timing of the voting process. OM Hungary stated that OMs should increase their contributions to WFD at a voluntary basis. President Allen AM conducted roll call by names of the OMs in alphabetical order. In total, 88 OMs were present. 14. ORDINARY MEMBERS’ MOTIONS 14.1. Motions from Ordinary Member Australia Board Member Campello introduced the motion. 14.1.1. Sign Language Symbol OM Australia requested the GA to adopt a sign language symbol. Board Member Campello announced that the Board decided to defer this motion to GA delegates’ consideration. OM Japan confirmed that in Japan they were working on to make the Olympic and Paralympics Venues in Tokyo accessible for 2020. They will make sure that they will use the sign language symbol decided by the GA for the deaf visitors. OM Sweden declared their support for the motion. OM UK Enquired about the level of sign language while using the symbol? Board Member Campello responded that the symbol will be used as a visibility guide. OM Dominican Republic was concerned that it will create confusion as it was not clear which deaf or hearing as opposed to the current crossed ear symbol. Board Member Campello responded that the symbol only declares sign language and it is for everyone. OM Zambia stated there were many different symbols for different kind of disabilities. Confirmed it was good to have our own symbol to ensure access for deaf people in the future. Decision: GA approved the motion by 72 yes and 8 no votes counted. 14.1.2. Notification of Theme for the International Week of Deaf People / International Day of Sign Languages Board Member Jigjid introduced the motion. OM Australia requested the WFD to provide OMs with International Week of Deaf People / International Day of Sign Languages with a theme at least 12 months prior to the event.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 11 Board Member Jigjid confirmed that the WFD Board does not support this motion. The themes for the International Day of Sign Languages and International Week of the Deaf were communicated widely during the week. It would confuse the message to announce the next year’s theme so close to the same time as the current year. The WFD also needed time to evaluate the event and develop new materials after this evaluation. The WFD Board decided the next year’s theme at its board meeting at the end of the current year and theme was announced by the end of that year. The 2019 theme was announced in December 2018, which was sufficient time. OM Austria supported OM Australia’s motion and need more clarification of the themes that will be proposed for the international week of the deaf. Each country have their own angles such as the Sami in Finland and both ideas from WFD and OM Australia should be combined to generate suitable and headline grabbing themes. OM Uganda supported the motion to ensure there was sufficient time for the governmental support for the events and also to ensure inclusion for deaf people. And also to minimize confusion about the week and also minimize the wastage of time. Therefore needed sufficient time to achieve it. OM Cameroon enquired about the length of time to prepare for the announcement of the theme. Board Member Jigjid responded that WFD usually announce the theme around December, 9 months before the start of the events. Decision: GA approved the motion by 45 yes and 26 no votes counted. Ms Iyute announced that there were 89 OMs represented in the GA. 14.2. Motions from Ordinary Member France Vice President Murray introduced the motion regarding the deaf flag. 14.2.1. Deaf Flag Ordinary Member France proposed the flag design that was already rejected by the XIX WFD GA in Istanbul, Turkey to be taken up for a new vote, should there be no proposal from the deaf flag working group (reference to XX WFD General Assembly Agenda item 9.1.3.). Vice President Murray clarified about the registered owner of the design of the Deaf Flag. WFD will need to discuss in depth about the commission which will be paid to the registered owner if WFD were in position to sell the flags. OM Venezuela enquired about the commission and how to keep it in control as it will be sold worldwide. OM Denmark declared non-support the concept of third-party ownership of the flag. OM Lebanon demanded clarification regarding the role of the expert group within the Working Group on deaf flag. Enquired about their responsibilities to deliver on time. Needed further clarification on why the Lebanon design was not accepted. OM France declared that they were forced to do IS video about the proposal at a short notice even they submitted a written proposal on time. Viewed Deaf Australia’s proposal, France felt they should be informed to submit a better video. OM Bulgaria Enquired about whether the survey was conducted for the feedback on the design of the flag or not?
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 12 Vice President Murray confirmed that the trademark registration was already made by the artist and it must be respected. Also confirmed that WFD and the artist will both be distributors of the flag pending the agreement with the artist. The Board decided to defer this motion to GA delegates’ consideration. Decision: GA rejected the motion by 47 no and 31 yes votes counted. 14.2.2. World Health Organization Board Member Bergmann introduced the motion. OM France requested the WFD to work with the World Health Organization (WHO) to change their perspective on deafness from serious illness to the human rights model in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Board supported this motion. Without reference to a specific documentation it is impossible for the Board to provide a comprehensive response to this motion. From the general perspective, the Board wishes to share with the General Assembly that the WFD has collaborated with the WHO. A WFD Board member has been involved in meetings on drafting World Hearing Report and WHO’s Stakeholders’ meeting for its programme on prevention of deafness and hearing loss in 2017 and 2018. In addition, there was a special meeting for WHO representatives, WFD representative and WFDYS representative in late 2017. The WFD has applied for membership in the World Hearing Forum and it has been agreed that a WFD Board member will attend three WHO meetings in 2019. The advocacy work towards the WHO to change their perspective on deafness is ongoing and followed up by the WFD Human Rights Officer. OM Ireland proposed the WFD to focus on other international organisations such as ILO. OM Hungary confirmed that WHO is a very important organisation as it serves as a base of reference to other organisations. Supported the motion but need to process carefully from the human rights perspective. OM Zambia supported the motion as there was a monopoly on hearing aids suppliers and need to change to sign language perspective and the amendment was important for Zambia. Decision: GA approved the motion by 75 yes and 9 red votes counted. 14.2.3. Reverse the order of the WFD General Assembly and the WFD World Congress Board Member Rojba introduced the motion. OM France proposed to organise the WFD GA at the end of the WFD World Congress to allow delegates to interact with each other prior to the WFD GA. The Board does not support this motion. The WFD GA is the highest governing body of the WFD and should be the first priority. WFD GA and Congress require a great deal of resources from the WFD Board and Secretariat. At the end of the WFD Congress, energy levels might not be conducive for all stakeholders including GA delegates. Having the WFD Congress after the GA allows new WFD Board Members to meet with WFD OMs and other stakeholders, plan their work and learn their new roles as board members. OM Brazil confirmed that it was difficult to support the motion as the delegates should have time with the new board members during the Congress. Decision: GA rejected the motion by 52 no and 28 yes votes counted.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 13 14.2.4. Training for Members Board Member Rojba introduced the motion. OM France proposed the WFD to organise training opportunities at WFD International Conference or WFD World Congress. The Board does not support this motion. The spirit of training events is already included in the WFD Guidelines for the 4th WFD International Conference. The Guidelines, which were shared with OMs in July 2018, reflects the different format of the event compared to previous WFD International Conferences. The 4th WFD International Conference taking place in Thailand in 2021 will be limited to members and focuses more on interactive discussions. OM France acknowledged the current guidelines for the 2021 conference and clarified that the permanent option of training should be voted on. OM Thailand confirmed that the training option was in the current guideline for the conference in 2021 but there should be open communication between OMs beforehand to avoid further confusion. OM Australia enquired about the trust WFD to keep it in the guideline or vote to ensure that it will be in there for the future. President Allen AM pointed out that the motion covers both the Congress and International Conference and it was not feasible. The guidelines have already amended for the International Conference. Congress should be focused on high level presentations. OM France would like to invoke the right to amend the motion so it focuses on the International Conference only. President Allen AM denied the request from OM France citing the articles in the WFD Internal Rules. Decision: GA rejected the motion by 44 no and 38 yes votes counted. 15. AMENDMENTS TO THE WFD STATUTES The WFD Board proposes certain amendments to the current WFD Statutes, to be adopted by the XX WFD GA. Board Member Bergmann introduced the amendments to the statutes. OM Brazil enquired about the IS translation of the contents of the statutes, previous and proposed, to the delegates. Board Member Bergmann confirmed that it will be explained to the delegates about the proposed changes only. Board Member Bergmann reminded the delegates that it needed two-thirds of the votes to approve the proposed amendments Ms Iyute asked the GA delegates to confirm their attendance by pressing yes button 79 yes votes counted. President Allen AM asked the delegates for their co-operation and press the yes button again. 88 yes votes counted.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 14 Ms Iyute announced that there will be 59 votes needed to pass the proposed amendment of the statutes. Board Member Jigjid introduced the proposal of the first amendment. First amendment – Honorary President OM Kenya need to know the difference between Honorary President and President Emeritus. OM Hungary declined the proposal and affirmed the equal status of honorary members rather than having ‘superior’ honorary president. OM Zambia supported the proposal as Honorary President deserved recognition of their work. Board Member Bergmann explained the reasoning behind the proposal. Decision: GA rejected the amendment of the statutes by 58 yes and 28 no votes counted. Board Member Jigjid introduced the proposal of the second amendment. Second Amendment – Gender Diversity OM Spain clarified that Spain supported Gender equality but was concerned about the proposal as it don’t reflect the real-world issues and it could encourage the widening of the gender gap. OM Zambia stated that the concept of diversity needed clarification and also it did not reflect real life where deaf women are oppressed round the world. OM South Africa stated that the current representation of the WFD board don’t reflect the gender diversity highlighted in the proposed amendments of the statutes. Board Member Jigjid agreed it was a sensitive topic but it was the first step to the right direction with the support of the OMs. Decision: GA rejected the amendment of the statutes by 46 yes and 38 no votes counted. Board Member Bergmann introduced the proposal of the third amendment. Third Amendment – Handling of non-payment of membership fees OM Venezuela declared the non-support of the proposal as each organisation has its own different methods of raising funds. OM Hungary supported the proposal to encourage dialogue between WFD and non-paying OMs. Board Member Bergmann clarified that the proposed amendment gives WFD more flexibility to deal with this issue with OMs OM Uganda was concerned about the proposal and WFD should do more research on why some OM failed to pay their dues. Therefore much more dialogue between two parties needed. OM Brazil stated that the expulsion was not an option for the OMs and it was important to support the motion to give them enough time to fulfil their dues to WFD. Decision: GA approved the amendment of the statutes by 74 yes and 10 no votes counted. Board Member Bergmann introduced the proposal of the fourth amendment.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 15 Fourth Amendment – Approval of Individual Members for WFD or WFDYS Decision: GA approved the amendment of the statutes by 83 yes and 4 no votes counted. Board Member Bergmann introduced the proposal of the Fifth Amendment. Fifth Amendment – Voting procedures OM Hungary declared non-support for the amendment highlighting the risk. For example, only 10 delegates present and could pass the motion using 6 votes. So needed to ensure that the delegates were aware of the potential risk. Decision: GA rejected the amendment of the statutes by 43 yes and 44 no votes counted. Board Member Bergmann introduced the proposal of the sixth amendment. Sixth Amendment – Regional Secretaries OM Australia was concerned that the proposal was not detailed enough and needed further clarification. OM Uganda stated that WFD should be in consultation with OMs not members. OM Sweden declared that WFD should develop further guidelines on this issue as it was a bit vague. OM Kenya declared support the motion as WFD is a global organisation and should be structured to deal with this issue. OM Dominican Republic considered this proposal important to be able to consult with WFD in case of problems with Regional Secretariats. Board Member Bergmann explained the reasoning behind was that some members of Regional Secretariats would like to split it into half and others wanted to transfer to other region. That was the reason that WFD needed to develop a toolkit in accordance with the amended statutes. Decision: GA approved the amendment of the statutes by 69 yes and 9 no votes counted. Board Member Bergmann introduced the proposal of the seventh amendment. Seventh Amendment – Approval of language changes OM Zambia supported the amendment to the statutes as it was important for the members to follow and understand the statutes. Decision: GA approved the amendment of the statutes by 81 yes and 1 no votes counted. 16. 2020 - 2030 WFD STRATEGIC PLAN Board Members Rojba and Campello introduced the WFD strategic plan. In late 2018, a survey in English and International Sign was sent to Ordinary Members requesting for feedback on the 2016-2019 WFD Action Plan and suggestions for the next action plan. At the 116th WFD Board meeting, the Board drafted 2020-2030 WFD Strategic Plan. Feedback form in English and International Sign was sent to Ordinary Members in March 2019. OM Botswana was concerned about the lack of women’s rights in the strategic plan. Women’s rights have been prioritised in the UN and WFD should adhere to this.
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 16 Ms Iyute responded that the new board will discuss about it. Decision: GA approved the strategic plan by 83 yes and 2 no votes counted. 17. SELECTION OF THE HOST FOR THE XXI WORLD CONGRESS OF THE WFD TO BE HELD IN 2023 Board Member Alanne and WFDYS Board Member Galione presented the report from the WFD Congress and WFDYS Youth Camp Inspection Team and the eligible bidders for the XIX World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf were: 17.1. Greece Hellenic Federation of the Deaf 17.2. New Zealand Deaf Aotearoa 17.3. Republic of Korea Korean Association of the Deaf 17.4. Rwanda Rwandan National Union of the Deaf Decision: The delegates voted for South Korea with 44 votes counted. New Zealand received 16 votes. Greece received 13 votes. Rwanda received 13 votes. 86 votes cast / 44 votes is 50% plus 1 – South Korea was awarded the right to host the next Congress. 18. ELECTION OF THE WFD BOARD FOR 2019 – 2023 Ms Iyute introduced the panel which was led by WFD Nomination and Election Panel Chair Mr Sola Limia. Mr Miers declared that he was no longer a delegate for OM Australia because of being member of the WFD Nomination and Election Panel. The eligible candidates for the WFD Board elections are: 18.1. President (three (3) nominations): 18.1.1. Italy: Dr Humberto INSOLERA 18.1.2. South Africa: Mr Bruno DRUCHEN 18.1.3. United States of America: Dr Joseph MURRAY The GA voted for Dr Joseph Murray with 46 votes counted. Dr Humberto Insolera received 26 votes and Mr Bruno Druchen received 9 votes. 18.2. Vice President (one (1) nomination): 18.2.1. Denmark, Mr Kasper BERGMANN The GA voted for Mr Bergmann with 76 yes votes counted. 18.3. Up to nine (9) Members (eleven (11) nominations): The GA voted for the following candidates: 18.3.1. Albania: Mr Florjan ROJBA: 80 votes 18.3.2. Canada: Mr Frank FOLINO: 71 votes 18.3.4. Germany: Mr Steffan HELBING: 77 votes 18.3.5. Iceland: Ms Hjordis Anna HARALDSDOTTIR: 81 votes 18.3.7. Nepal: Mr Kedar Prasad ADHIKARI was not selected
Minutes - XX WFD General Assembly 17 18.3.8. New Zealand: Ms Victoria MANNING: 80 votes 18.3.9. Russian Federation: Mr Stanislav IVANOV: 55 votes 18.3.10. Somalia: Mr Abubakar ALI was not selected 18.3.11. South Africa: Mr Bruno DRUCHEN: 79 votes 18.3.12. Thailand: Mr Withayoot BUNNAG: 75 votes 18.3.13. Venezuela: Mr Juan Angel DE GOUVEIA FERNANDEZ: 73 votes Voting process – secret paper vote with the names of the nominees. 19. APPROVAL OF HONORARY MEMBERS Board Member Bergmann proposed four persons for the award for their excellent work. Mr Colin Allen AM Ms Kaisa Alanne Dr Terry Riley OBE Ms Hanne Berge Kvitvaer The GA approved with 58 yes and 3 no votes counted. 20. CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION President Allen AM acknowledged OMs who hosted WFD board meetings between July 2015 and June 2019 and presented the certificates to: 107th and 108th WFD Board meetings: OM Turkey 109th WFD Board meeting: OM United Kingdom 110th WFD Board meeting: OM New Zealand 111th WFD Board meeting: OM Nepal 112th WFD Board meeting: OM Japan 113th WFD Board meeting: OM Hungary 114th WFD Board meeting: OM Ghana 115th WFD Board meeting: OM Rwanda 116th WFD Board meeting: OM Paraguay 21. PRESENTATION OF VITTORIO IERALLA AWARD President Allen AM introduced President of OM Italy to present the award. The award was presented to OM New Zealand for their work on promoting the status and awareness on New Zealand Sign Language. 22. CLOSING ADDRESS WFD President Allen AM declined the award of the Honorary Member of WFD. He acknowledged OM France for organising the GA. He thanked the tellers. He also thanked Deborah Iyute for co-chairing the General Assembly. Called the WFD board on the stage. Thanked the OMs of Board members for their support. Thanked Eeva Tupi, Phillipa Sandholm and other staff members for their work. He felt privileged for working with OMs and declared that it was the right time for him to step back. Thanked the WFD Honorary Presidents Markku Jokinen and Liisa Kauppinen. He closed the GA as a President at 18.24.
Together, We Have Achieved Much REPORT 2019 - 2023
The WFD team visited Windhoek, Namibia for its 129th Board meeting. During this visit, the WFD and Namibian National Association of the Deaf met with multiple government ministers, hosted a community workshop, and celebrated the International Week of Deaf People with students at the Windhoek area school for deaf learners. The cover photo shows students at the school embracing each other as WFD President Dr Joseph J. Murray signs “support” in the background.
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 3 Table of Contents Message from the President Global Impact Timeline of Activities Covid 19: Meeting the Challenge 70th Anniversary International Week of Deaf People and International Day of Sign Languages Achieving the Action Plan Learning and Improving WFD Youth Section Financial Review WFD Board WFD Secretariat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 20 22 24 26 28
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 4 Dear friends, The past four years have seen major changes in the world. And the WFD has stepped up to meet these changes. We have worked tirelessly to secure full human rights for all deaf people. Our social media posts often contain the hashtag #DeafStrong. This hashtag illustrates how we can achieve so much- through the strength of our global diverse deaf communities, through the cultural connections realised in the use of our 200+ national sign languages, and through the collaborative work of our associative movement. Our work has expanded in the past four years. We have expanded our influence in international fora, participating in 21 international conferences, organizing five Side Events at United Nations events, and developing two toolkits, three research reports, and 19 policy papers. We are the most broad-reaching international uni-disability organization. Since 2019, we have increased our membership base from 119 to 135 countries, our largest membership ever. We have provided virtual and in-person trainings to 62 Ordinary Members in 64 countries on 6 continents, and launched our virtual training platform, the WFD Campus, to foster a new generation of deaf leaders around the world. We met the challenge presented by Covid-19, shifting online, quickly meeting with all our national members, issuing 10 policy documents and statements with our partners, and working with the WHO and other institutions to ensure deaf people did not suffer an information pandemic. Over 100 countries provided some form of national sign language interpretation on public broadcasts, an unprecedented expansion of access during a time of global crisis. Alongside this, our Ordinary Members, national associations of deaf people, were on the front lines in ensuring access through national sign languages to health and safety measures. The pandemic taught us that we are our strengths. We know what deaf people need during crises. The WFD has expanded our work to support our Ordinary Members during times of humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. During our 70th anniversary year, we hosted a webinar series, with 11 webinars on core human rights topics. With over half the presenters from the Global South, and 1/3rd from Africa, we achieved our goal of ensuring a diverse array of deaf people’s expert knowledge informs our work. We also celebrated with in-person events in the city of our founding, Rome, Italy, and high-level events at the United Nations in Geneva. Our anniversary, 23 September, is also the United Nations-recognised International Day of Sign Languages, which we have made a global celebration for all peoples in all countries. We have lit the world in Blue Lights for national sign languages, and Presidents and Prime Ministers have taken our Global Leader’s Challenge and signed our annual themes in their national sign languages. These celebrations lead to awareness, and awareness leads to change. In the past four years, the WFD has grown and achieved financial stability. Our budget has doubled since 2019, and we have invested this in our projects and services to members. Our staff has expanded from 2.5 to 7 core staff, with 5 joining us for shorter term projects throughout the years. And we have become a more representative organization, with over half of those who have worked for us in the past four years coming from the Global South. I’m proud to say the WFD is the only organization of peoples with disabilities with 100% representation of persons with disabilities in both our Board and staff, all of whom are deaf. The philosophy of nothing about us, without us is embedded in our organization. It has been a great honor to volunteer in the role of President these past four years. I have been able to advocate for deaf people’s equality at the highest levels of governments and international institutions. I have been fortunate to work alongside dedicated people in our Board, our staff, and our member organisations and partners. I am continually inspired by my many meetings with deaf people in local deaf communities across the globe. From Amman to Havana, from Geneva to Bangkok, from Bogota to Kyiv, we all share a passion for a better world for all deaf people. Together, we have achieved much! Message from the President Dr Joseph J. Murray WFD President VIDEO
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 5 Anywhere deaf people are, the WFD is as well. And deaf people are everywhere! The WFD has access to a global network of experts on deaf peoples lives, and we are expanding our global human rights portfolio with new partners and new ideas to meet current challenges. “ ” Meeting with the Minister of Persons with Disabilities - Thailand - April 2022
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 6 Global Impact We expanded to 135 Ordinary Members in the past four years The WFD works on a global scale, with a wide range of partners, from the United Nations and its agencies to national governments, human rights organizations, and national and regional associations of deaf people. 91 Countries were supported by WFD national human rights advocacy work
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 7 38 Collaborations with international organisations, in which we worked together to advance equality for all deaf people 19 Policy documents issued on core human rights issues 64 Countries around the world participated in our trainings and workshops 32 Appearances at UN meetings and events by our team 168% increase in funding in 4 years, providing us with more resources to support deaf communities around the world 2019 2020 2021 2022
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 8 2019 2020 2021 118th WFD Board Meeting in France 119th WFD Board Meeting in Georgia National Conference on Deaf Education in Quzhou, China 1st Regional Human Rights Training for the Southern African Region in Namibia WFD active at 12th Session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, with Minority Rights Group International (MRGI) 1st WFD - IDA Bridge alumni workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal Baseline Data Collection Report on deaf education in Nepal Northeast Asia Conference on Disability in Seoul, Korea European Center on Minority Languages 25th Anniversary Conference • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • First visit by a WFD President to Cuba, meeting with the Regional Directors for Central America and Caribbean. COVID-19 pandemic, WFD meets with all Ordinary Members. Release of WFD-supported IDA Global Report on Inclusive Education UNESCO International Symposium on Inclusive Education, with Inclusion International Covid-19 and Inclusive Education seminar with World Bank Covid 19 webinar with Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Webinar with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsGuatemala Training with Discovering Deaf Worlds in East Asia United Nations 75th Anniversary Celebrations with United Nations Finland WFD Campus video recording in Stockholm, Sweden 120 - 122nd WFD Board Meetings shift online via video conferencing 1st year of The Nippon Foundation Sign Language Rights Project 13th UN Conference of State Parties Side Event 70th WFD Anniversary year celebrated with monthly webinars Release of WHO World Report on Hearing with significant WFD input 123rd - 125th WFD Board Meetings via video conferencing. First post-pandemic in-person (126th) WFD Board Meeting in United Arab Emirates 2nd meeting of the Regional Secretariat of the Arab Region 14h Conference of State Parties online Side Event 2nd year of The Nippon Foundation Sign Language Rights Project First ever WFD Presentation at World Pride WFD/CBM Global Deaf women’s access to health research project in Nigeria Training of Tunisian lawyers with MRGI WFD President elected Secretary-General of the IDA Launch of Deaf people’s access to health during COVID-19 Pandemic Research project in Latin America and the Caribbean Global Covid-19 Toolkit released in multiple languages, with Danish Deaf Association Timeline of Activities
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 9 2022 2023 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • WFD mobilizes to support Ukrainian Society of the Deaf and Ukrainian deaf refugees. WFD participates in 2nd Global Disability Summit 127th WFD Board Meeting via video In-person 128th WFD Board Meeting in Thailand Three “Sign Language Rights” trainings in Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore 4th WFD Conference, hosted by National Association of the Deaf Thailand, shifts online due to Covid-19 WFD meets with 10 governments and hosts Side Events at 15th UN Conference of State Parties 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR Bali) National level training on inclusive education in Ghana and France Launch of WFD’s online training platform, WFD Campus WFD participates in International Federation for the Hard of Hearing World’s Congress in Budapest Resumption of in-person International Week of Deaf People events around the world, including at United Nations, Geneva. 129th WFD Board Meeting in Namibia WFD/CBM Global Report on deaf women in Nigeria IDA Report on Covid-19 in Latin America Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Meeting and Conference in Uzbekistan WHO Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities UNICEF LACRO-WFD first joint webinar on Access to Sign Languages for deaf children 130th WFD Board Meeting in Colombia “Sign Language Rights” training in Malaysia & Laos Implementation of Deaf women’s rights project and trainings in Southern Africa region Development of two new workshops and curricula for WFD Campus Sign Language Rights Toolkit launched 16th UN Conference of State Parties Side Event CBM Global-WFD project in Bolivia: Research on deaf women’s access to health CBM Global-WFD project in Laos: Accessibility Go! WFD established nonprofit WFD-USA First joint position paper with Inclusion International and Downs Syndrome International 131st WFD Board Meeting in South Korea XX WFD General Assembly XIX World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf 2019 - 2023
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 10 For more than two years, the global Covid-19 pandemic upended the world, with a dire impact on everyone, including deaf people. The WFD quickly mobilised to mitigate the potential lack of access to life-saving information and services in national sign languages. When the pandemic first emerged, the WFD and its partner organisation, the World Association of Sign Language Interpreters (WASLI) quickly developed a statement on health access, being among the first global organisations to address the pandemic. This would be the first of what would be ten policy papers, letters and statements the WFD would release over the next two years. As the pandemic spread across the world, the WFD immediately set up video meetings with nearly all of its Ordinary Members on every continent. The aim of these meetings was to discover the situation of deaf people in vastly different areas of the world and to collect information on practices put in place to ensure the inclusion of deaf people in Covid-19 responses. Through these meetings, we recognised that deaf people were facing discrimination and marginalisation when accessing services such as remote education, social assistance and health care services due to their lack of accessibility in national sign languages. This exchange of information and best practices assisted our members in their advocacy, and the WFD’s fight for bringing the issues of equal access to information and health care access to the forefront of international pandemic responses. These policy papers and statements have been instrumental in the advocacy work made by the WFD and deaf organisations around the globe. This advocacy has occurred at the global level through work with the United Nations and its agencies, as well as with other international organisations. These policies were promoted in numerous webinars with international agencies and partner organisations. The WFD also supported advocacy work at the national level, through supporting the work of our Ordinary Members in their countries. In addition, the WFD provided individual letters of support to nine Ordinary Members to underpin their advocacy work for the provision of professional and accredited national sign language interpreters during press conferences. Covid 19: Meeting the Challenge READ
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 11 As a result of this joint advocacy push, global and national Covid-19 policies progressively became more inclusive to deaf people. One milestone of the WFD’s work in this period was our successful work to modify the WHO Disability Consideration during the Covid-19 Outbreak to include provisions obliging national governments to ensure live and recorded events and communications, including press conferences, were accessible via national sign languages. Indeed, data the WFD collected indicates over 100 countries have provided some form of access in their national sign languages at press conferences during the pandemic. The pandemic taught us several lessons. Among these are that societies can be inclusive to a far greater degree than previously thought. The WFD aims to maintain these requirements in regard to future pandemics and disasters. Access is not an option, it is a necessity. The pandemic has also brought into sharp relief the critical role national associations of deaf people have played in ensuring deaf people were not left behind. Our Ordinary Members developed and translated information into national sign languages, set up video chat helplines, ensured deaf people were given access to vaccines and food aid, and much more. The work of these associations must be incorporated into planning efforts for future pandemics or other natural and humanitarian disasters. With the support of the Danish Deaf Association, and working with seven Ordinary Members, the WFD released a toolkit on Covid-19 translated into five UN Languages and five variants of International Sign. The WFD always stands ready to support our members and mobilise international networks in support of deaf people VIDEO To provide further support to all relevant stakeholders at both the international and national levels, the WFD adopted several original statements and guidelines: WFD-WASLI Joint Statement on access to health services and interpreter occupational health during the Covid-19 containment efforts WFD-WASLI Guidelines on access to information in national sign languages during emergency broadcasts WFD Letter to the World Health Organisation about Covid-19 information Examples of press Conferences on Covid-19 with national sign languages WFD-WFDYS Statement on access to higher education for deaf students during the Covid-19 pandemic WFD-WFDYS-Deaf Kidz International Joint-Statement on responding to the safeguarding protection needs of deaf children and youth during the Covid-19 pandemic WFD Statement on equality & non-discrimination during the Global Covid-19 pandemic WFD-WFDYS-IFHOH-IFHOHYP Statement on accessible communication for deaf and hard of hearing people during the Covid-19 pandemic WFD Position Statement on educational rights for deaf learners during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond WFD statement on the right of deaf people to equal treatment in the context of the global Covid-19 pandemic READ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Zoom meeting with the OMs of the Asia region - April 2020
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 12 Celebration in Rome, Italy The WFD’s Ordinary Member in Italy, Ente Nazionale Sordi, organised a celebration on 23 September 2021 in Rome, Italy. WFD President Dr Joseph Murray and the WFD Board Member Mr Florjan Robja were present. The day included a conference to commemorate the WFD’s 70 years of work. It ended with a ceremony in honor of the first WFD President, Mr Vittorio Ieralla. Celebration at the United Nations The United Nations in Geneva hosted a virtual high-level panel during the International Day of Sign Languages, celebrating the WFD’s 70th anniversary. Among the notable presenters were the Chair of the CRPD Committee, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues and the Ambassador of Mexico to the United Nations and the Chair of the Human Rights Council Task Force on Accessibility. The WFD commemorated its 70th anniversary in 2021. Founded in Rome, Italy on 23 September 1951, the WFD is the world’s oldest continuously operated international organization of peoples with disabilities. In 2021, the WFD celebrated its anniversary with both in-person and virtual celebrations. The WFD created a unique 70th anniversary logo to commemorate our 70 years of work for national sign languages and deaf people’s human rights. This logo takes its inspiration from the Blue Ribbon, an idea developed by Deaf Studies scholar and activist Dr Paddy Ladd. Launched at the XIII World’s Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf in 1999, the color blue in the ribbon is based on the WFD’s official colors. The physical ribbon was then adopted by the WFD Youth Section and used at successive WFD Youth Camps during their closing ceremonies. Adopting this ribbon as our virtual symbol of our 70th anniversary pays heed to our history and our future. The ribbon is a symbol of deaf communities’ ongoing struggles against oppression and the centuries of attempts to abolish sign languages and eradicate deaf communities and cultures. The ribbon also symbolises the resilience and commitment of our communities and our allies to resist that oppression, and celebrates the flourishing of our communities and sign languages. The ribbon is also a celebration of our creation of spaces for sign languages and the many unique and diverse signing communities around the world today. For more information on the Blue Ribbon, see Paddy Ladd (2003) Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood, pp. 469-471 70th Anniversary VIDEO Celebration in Rome, Italy - Septembre 2021
WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF REPORT 2019-2023 PAGE 13 January June September November September March February April August October December The Journey towards Inclusive Bilingual Sign Language Schools! The Journey towards Inclusive Employment 70th Anniversary Celebration “Intersectionality: Learning About our Diverse Deaf Communities” Deaf Women Leaders in National Deaf Associations and Youth Boards: Issues and Success Stories Organising synergies between National Associations of the Deaf and National Sign Language Interpreters Associations Inclusive Employment: Lessons from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda How to unlock the potential of Sign Language Rights Let us teach our sign languages! Deaf people vindicating their expertise in teaching their sign languages “Deaf Rights During Disasters: Humanitarian Action and Deaf People” We Sign for Human Rights As our gift to global deaf communities, the WFD hosted a 70th anniversary webinar series to highlight the work of deaf communities around the world and to strengthen our advocacy work through virtual means during the Covid-19 pandemic. Presenters represented our diverse global deaf communities. The majority of our invited panelists (42 of 76) were from the Global South, with one-third being from the African continent. Over half were women or nonbinary. In this, the WFD aimed to showcase the broad capacities of deaf communities worldwide. The webinars successfully brought together new and important views on key topics. 64,000 people from around the world watched our webinars during the first 24 hours of broadcast. The webinars are still freely available on our website. Webinar Series